


Broadcast

by Shaele



Category: K (Anime)
Genre: M/M, Radio Host AU, valentines day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-23 22:27:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9683285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shaele/pseuds/Shaele
Summary: [DRABBLE] Yata doesn't really mind having feelings for someone he hasn't seen in eight years, but he's still the same clueless kid Fushimi fell for all those years ago. It's Valentine's Day and rather than going out on on dates Yata's at work as usual and Fushimi makes a guest appearance in the same radio stationandtimeslot as Yata's, resulting in an unusual reunion for the both of them...and a little (failed?) unintended flirting, if you could call it that at all.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this on the fly without proofreading it with the idea of "Yata as a radio host and Fushimi as a music artist" going through my head with a tiny bit of "oh right, Valentine's Day" mixed in. It's nonsense, I forgot what a thesaurus was and ended up reusing a few (lot of) speaking verbs, and they sure like to mumble and grumble a lot. Oh, did I mention I don't know how being a radio host really works? Let's just all assume I'm correct but incorrect in the real world.
> 
> Anyways, I apologize for the unamusing story, but thanks for giving it a shot!
> 
> I would like to thank school for fucking me over and making me unable to read, write, _or_ draw, aad I also would like to thank you all for taking ten seconds to read this weird note and maybe even read the story!

“You sure you have no plans, Yata?”

Kusanagi looked at him from the entrance of the studio with a worried look on his face. Valentine's Day was tomorrow but the young radio host simply shook his head and gave his manager a smile, as always. “It’s fine! Seriously.”

It's not like Yata _had_ any plans anyways. Sure, his friends invited him out to ‘have some fun’ for the day, but their definition of fun wasn't as enticing as plainly sitting at the studio and playing songs for a few hours and afterwards doing whatever the hell he wanted to do.

And besides, there was a so-called special guest that was due to appear on radio during his regular time slot, so why pass up the opportunity to meet a celebrity?

… Or rather, it was more like Yata was about to see an old friend again. It's been eight years since they've parted ways and went on with their lives, after all.

Kusanagi sighed and knocked on the doorframe to indicate his leaving. “If you say so. Don't scare the guest away, alright?”

“Right, right!” Yata grinned. He didn't know if his old friend even remembered him - let alone knew they were going to meet again tomorrow - but the thought of seeing his old best friend again sent his heart in a frenzy sometimes. He missed their nonsensical rooftop conversations and late afternoon crepe walks. He missed how he'd made it his mission to get his friend to so much as crack a smile even though he failed on most days. There were also days where they'd relax and do absolutely nothing, too, and somehow Yata managed to remember almost every single moment with them. They were kids that didn’t think that far into the future, though, and it was only a matter of time before they fought about what was going to happen to them…

Eventually things had settled down. Fushimi found his own path and Yata found his. They never spoke, never tried any form of communication. Yata still thought about him and how he was doing in the music industry and in daily life. He couldn’t help it; he spent a lot of his memorable childhood with the lanky, gloomy kid, and it’s just become second nature to wonder about him every once in a while.

Okay - he _might_ like him - might _still_ like him - but hell if he was going to make that obvious.

“You seem off today, Yata.”

“Eh? It’s nothing!” Yata put his hands up in mock surrender. “Seriously Kusanagi! You know I don’t like picking strangers up off the streets. Besides, there’s way too many people…”

“Too many girls?” Kusanagi laughed.

Yata’s cheeks turned a light shade of red. “M-maybe! I dunno, I wouldn’t know! I never went out on Valentine’s Day.”

“It’s fine to go out every once in a while, ya know.” Kusanagi sighed. “You’re what... twenty-three now? You live alone, have no girlfriend, spend all your time at work…”

“So what?” Yata clicked his tongue. “I’m happy, aren’t I?”

“Well,” Kusanagi gave it some thought. “If you say so.”

“I damn right said so.” Yata muttered, glaring at the cup of water in front of him. He didn’t like these kinds of talks _at all_. So what if he didn’t have a lover? It’s not like the world revolved around those kinds of things, anyways. Besides, who would put up with him?

 _Not even_ he _could stay by my side very long..._

Kusanagi shrugged and turned to leave. Once he walked out of the set, Yata turned and began to pick out more songs to play, giving him some more time to think about how he'd go about with the ‘special’ valentine's special with the guest tomorrow. It started off simple: listeners get to call and ask for advice on a relationship issue while more than likely getting an idiotic response from him - because really, who was he to give advice? He's never been in a relationship before! Sure, he has friends that are - or have been - in one (or many), but he wasn't the one they went to for advice when things went to hell...

That whole segment was thirty minutes long, with a one-song performance by the guest star right after. After that it's a small playlist of songs by said star, then it's off to a segment about embarrassing moments that have happened to someone on valentine's day, then lastly a question and answer segment for the guest. It was a lot more talking than usual, but Yata never minded talking to their listeners.

He had the whole schedule memorized from start to end complete with his own remark about an embarrassing valentine's day moment. It was all set, all perfect, all _great_.

At least, it should be great... right?

He sighed as the last song came near its end. “... Hello all you listeners out there!” He spoke into the microphone with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. “We _all_ know tomorrow i s a _very important_ day for all you lovestruck people out there, and what better way for _HOMRA Entertainment_ to celebrate than with a special guest appearance?” He paused for a couple of seconds to let the information sink in. “That’s right, the long-anticipated guest is due to appear at this time tomorrow! It’s not just any guest, either…” He forgot how hard it actually was to voice act for things like these. “It’s none other than _Promotion Scepter 4_ ’s own rising star, _Fushimi Saruhiko!_ ”

______  


Yata’s hands were shaking more than usual. It wasn’t normal.

At all.

He was sitting face to face with someone he hadn’t seen in _years_. Not only that, but it was awkward.

 _Really_ awkward.

At least he thought it was. He wasn’t good with these kinds of situations anyhow. He knew things would flow a lot easier once he started talking, but the few seconds before that was always a little tense for him. Yata just hoped Fushimi would get along with him just fine.

_Like before._

Yata had ten seconds to calm himself before the first segment started. He took deep breaths to help quell the jitters he was still feeling, to almost no avail.

“And hello Shizume City!” Yata called out onto the microphone. He silently hoped his voice sounded just as bright and cheerful as usual. “It’s Valentine’s Day, which we all know is a day dedicated to the one you love!

“I know what you listeners are thinking.” Yata sighed. “Where’s the guest I promised you all days ago? When is he going to appear? Well boy do I have some news for you…”

“Yo.” Fushimi sighed into the radio. “It’s nice to be here.”

“You sound a bit tired there, Fushimi!” Yata laughed. He was _not_ used to calling him that.

“Just a little.” Fushimi’s lip twitched. “Anyways, what’s up? I’d be surprised if anyone was listening in honestly. I mean, shouldn’t they be with their loved one right now?”

“What about you, Fushimi?” Yata asked, glad for a good entrance into the first segment. “Why aren’t _you_ with your loved one?”

“It’s a bit…” Fushimi laughed, but it wasn’t like the bright and bubbly one he’s heard way back then. It felt staged, almost. “Complicated, to say the least.”

“Is that so…” Yata murmured. “Anyways! While we’re on this topic, why don’t we let other people call in and ask us for some relationship advice?”

“You? Relationship?” Fushimi chuckled. “I haven’t been in one either, though.”

“Well, at least we can try.” Yata laughed. He tapped a couple of things on the screen in front of him before it automatically picked up a caller. He read the name out loud, hoping the first thing he was going to hear wouldn’t be some mindless screaming. “Haruka, you’re on air!”

“ _Oh my god_.” Yata cringed at the voice. “Is this really Fushimi!?”

“Why yes... yes it is.” Fushimi’s voice was suddenly quirky and playful. “What seems to be your relationship problem, young lady?”

Another small squeal. This time Yata caught the slight eye twitch on Fushimi’s practically flawless face and stifled a giggle. “So there’s this guy, right? And he goes to the same school as me! He’s the valedictorian and I’m stuck in second or third place _all the time_ , but he asked to study with me sometime! What do I do!? I don’t need to study that bad, but like… he’s a great guy! I’ve known him since grade school and we’re pretty good friends already! I don’t know if I _like_ like him, but my heart goes a bit crazy when I’m near him so I must have some feelings for him, right!?”

“Just go!” They both said in unison. Yata looked to Fushimi before continuing. “I mean, why not? Maybe he has an ulterior motive. I think some guys like to do that. Follow your emotions!”

“Maybe he’s just shy and won’t admit to himself he likes you, too.” Fushimi smirked. “You should take the chance to give him chocolate while you’re at it. Maybe something will spark between you two.”

“Really? Should I go? What if he doesn’t like me the same way I think I like him?”

“Then that’s it.” Fushimi sounded like he didn’t want to actually say what he was saying. Actually, he didn’t look like he wanted to talk at all, let alone talk about relationship advice. “We can’t really force anyone to love us, but you should support him in any way you can. Sometimes people realize things a little late.” Fushimi glanced at Yata before looking back at the paper in front of him. They each had a printout of the schedule so they wouldn’t get too off-track.

“That’s very realistic of you, Fushimi.” Haruka had stopped with the squeal-y tone of voice and sounded a little more sentimental than anything else. “Thanks for taking this seriously.”

“Problems should always be taken seriously.” Fushimi sighed. “Otherwise nothing ever gets better.”

When Haruka said her thanks and hung up Yata hit another button and let the program automatically pick a caller again. They had just enough time for two more... hopefully. “Hey there Akira!”

“Heyo!” It was a male, to their surprise. “I’m not sure why I even bothered calling in, but…”

“What is it?” Yata asked.

“My girlfriend’s birthday is the day after Valentine’s Day, but I don’t have the money to get her something special for both days.”

“So?” Fushimi’s brows were knitted together. “Shouldn’t spending time with her be enough?”

“But she loves it when I give her gifts… she smiles so bright when I do!”

“We all want to see our loved one smile.” Fushimi glanced at Yata again for a split second. “But if buying them gifts is the only way to make them happy, then maybe they’re not really in it for _you_ …”

It was quiet for a few seconds until Yata spoke up. “Isn’t that a bit harsh?”

“Getting people’s hopes up or giving bad advice isn’t something anyone should do.” Fushimi’s eyes shot up to meet Yata’s. “ _Especially_ when a lot of people look up to you as inspiration.”

He had a point. Yata didn’t want to upset the caller but Fushimi was completely right. “You know.. If you can’t think of something to _buy_ her, you could always try to make her stuff. Valentine’s Day is a girl’s day, right? You still have White Day ahead of you! Try to make her something special anyways, like a small dinner or even something cheesy, like a box of notes or a date to the park.”

“That sounds really nice, actually.” Akira sounded wistful. “A day in the park… maybe a picnic too!”

“That’s the spirit!” Yata smiled.

“Just remember; you don’t have to spend a lot of money to make people happy.” Fushimi spoke up. “Sometimes spending time with them is enough.” Yata looked to him and noticed a faraway look in his eyes. “Even ‘doing nothing’ days can end up being special to the both of you.”

“How sentimental of you.”

“Just a little.” Fushimi chuckled. “My childhood wasn’t _completely_ terrible anyways.”

Yata rolled his eyes. “Anyways, anything else bothering you Akira?”

“Nope!” Akira’s voice was filled with happiness. “You two gave me really good ideas, thank you!”  
“No probl!” Yata smiled again. He sometimes wished his listeners could see just how happy Yata was to talk to them and make them happy. After Akira hung up Yata immediately tapped for the next caller. “Meiko, what’s up?”

“Hey there!” It was an older woman this time. “My daughter is feeling a bit under the weather about Valentine’s Day because she’s single. She listens to this station all the time and well… this isn’t really relationship advice but could you two maybe say a few words to help brighten her mood?”

“Hmm…” Yata scratched the back of his head. “Well I’ve been single my whole life and I’m pretty content with life. I mean yeah I wonder what having a partner would be like but it’s not the end of the world if you can’t find one when you’re still young.

“Is she in high school? Middle school? College? Anyways, that doesn’t matter… What matters is that she’s happy and it doesn’t completely depend on other people. My job makes me happy, my friends make me happy, my family makes me happy… maybe focusing on something like that would help. Hobbies help a lot too!”

“Not to mention songs.” Fushimi laughed. “They sometimes help a lot, too.”

Yata thought of the next segment, and thought it’d be a good idea to pitch it in. “How about you sing a song for all the sad singles out there?”

Fushimi shrugged. “Why not?”

Yata dropped the call and handed Fushimi the tablet to pick a song out of. He acquired the adlib tracks way ahead of time for this occasion, though he can’t say he _didn’t_ listen to the tracks by himself and imagine Fushimi singing next to him.

Yata shook away the memory of that and tapped the desk to keep himself busy. There were only twenty songs on the list so it shouldn’t take too long. Fushimi flicked the screen up and down in a bored fashion before clearing his throat, causing Yata to stop tapping the desk and lean towards the microphone.

“Valentine’s Day…” Fushimi started, chuckling at the end. “It’s okay to be single. It’s okay to be rejected. It’s life, after all.” He hit play on the tablet and set it down while the track began to play. Yata wasn’t totally familiar with the song but he heard it enough times on the street to hum along to it. “

“So they say that time takes away the pain but I'm still the same oh yeah,

_And they say that I will find another you - that can't be true oh…_

_Why didn't I realize? Why did I tell lies? Yeah I wish that I could do it again..._

_Ooh Turnin' back the time, back when you were mine...”_

Yata hummed along, entranced by the way Fushimi sounded out each syllable as if he was telling a story.

 _“So this is heartache? So this is heartache?_ _All this pain in the chest, my regrets, and things we never said oh baby! So this is heartache? So this is heartache? What me meant, what we said that night.. Why did I let you go? I miss you...”_

As Fushimi sang Yata wondered what - or _who_ \- was on Fushimi’s mind; it sounded like he was sad, but the look in his eyes showed pain more than sadness, surprising Yata. He never saw Fushimi in any emotional pain - he was sometimes crazy, yeah, but he knew how to keep his emotions in check and always left Yata in the dark whenever he tried to prod into the other’s head.

It was interesting listening to Fushimi sing a song about heartbreak, let alone sing it as if he had experienced heartbreak before. Yata was almost sure Fushimi didn’t set himself up for any sort of heartbreak.

_Unless…._

_“What do I do in all of this life? You and all the regret, I tried and hide the pain with nothing. I’ll never be alive with no more you and I. I can’t forget the look in your eyes!”_

Something hit Yata in the heart, as if Fushimi was using the words to aim an arrow through his heart. Did all his listeners feel this way when they hear him sing this song? Did they all feel the pain in his voice? It was an entirely different Fushimi from before, when all he cared about was hanging out and doing literally nothing all day, teasing and bickering and laughing at all the weirdest things...

“ _I miss you…_ ”

Yata abruptly ended his train of thought and smiled as Fushimi closed the outtro. “That was amazing.” He breathed, unable to contain the excitement. “I mean seriously! I don’t remember your voice being _that_ amazing back in -” He stopped and cleared his throat, ignoring the questioning look Fushimi threw at him. “Anyways, out star here has prepared a list of songs just for you guys for this special day, so please enjoy them to the fullest!”

“Yes, please do! This playlist is for all you listeners out there; thanks so much for tuning in and spending time with me today!”

Yata hit play on the playlist Fushimi provided before the first segment started before pushing himself away from the table and sighing loudly. “Geez that was a lot of talking.”

“You’re telling me.” Fushimi clicked his tongue, his mood suddenly sour. “This is annoying.”

Yata raised an eyebrow. “You decided to be a music artist even though you don’t like talking to people?”

“It seemed easy.” Fushimi sighed. “I sing. The company makes it better and markets it. I get money. Repeat.”

“That’s a shitty way to look at things.” Yata murmured, wondering what it’d be like to have the same career. “I mean yeah people are annoying as hell sometimes, but don’t you care about making them happy? I’m sure you’ve already seen batshit crazy fans firsthand.”

Fushimi grimaced. “One too many times.”

“Maybe you should’ve gotten an office jos or something instead, then.” Yata shrugged. He should probably be nicer to his guest but they were already getting along pretty well as it was. Yata had a slight idea as to how Fushimi acted so it wasn’t too bad.

_I still don’t know if you remember me, though…_

“I’d have to stay in school for that, though.” Fushimi grumbled.

“So acting like you give two shits about your fans when you really don’t give a single fuck about them is less tiring?”

Fushimi rolled his eyes. “Shut up.”

Yata smirked. “You probably would’ve done better as a model or something. Less people to talk to.”

“Heeeeh,” Fushimi smiled, “so you’re saying I’m pretty?”

“W-what!?” Yata sputtered, standing up and sending his chair flying towards the wall. “I didn’t mean it that way you jerk!”

“You still said I could be a model.” Fushimi’s smile looked more like a smirk now. “And I’m pretty sure you have to be hot to be a good model.”

Yata’s cheeks burned and he turned away angrily, grabbing his chair and rolling it back towards the desk. “Just shut up already you ass.”

“Not gonna happen.” Fushimi sang, propping his elbows up onto the table and resting his chin on his knuckles. “It’s a pretty nice compliment, after all.”

Yata wanted to blow up at the guy but knew better than that. He was twenty-three now anyways; he wasn’t the same young and stupid kid that ran around kicking and screaming when things went wrong. “There’s still two songs to go. Do you need any water? Snacks?” Being civil with this guy was awkward, because if it were them from back then he would’ve just thrown a bottle of cola in his face without a second thought…

“Water sounds nice.” Fushimi said, effectively preventing Yata from reminiscing a particular moment in their past. Yata nodded and spun his chair around before getting up and walking to the mini fridge in the corner of the room. There was some cola and orange juice in there as well but he only grabbed the bottle of water before shutting the fridge. Yata also took two plastic cups off the top of the fridge before walking back to his seat and setting the things down. Fushimi was still resting his chin on his hands as he watched Yata pour the water into the cups, only moving once Yata had put one in front of him without a word. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Yata plopped back onto his chair and twirled around absentmindedly while Fushimi drank from his glass quietly. The silence felt awkward and it felt like the playlist was going slower and slower, and by the time the last song came to an end Yata was about ready to bust.

“And that’s it!” Yata said into the microphone. “A Valentine’s playlist for all you listeners, each song hand-picked by the one and only Fushimi Saruhiko!”

“I hope you enjoyed the selection.” Fushimi said quietly, swirling the little bit of water left in his cup around. “We have two more things left to do before it’s time for me to head out, so let’s get the ball rolling, shall we?”

“Of course!” The tense atmosphere seemed to disappear as they eased back into the program. “Alright, so you know how I’ve been single and _really_ unwilling to mingle since forever ago?” Fushimi was stifling a laugh, earning a half-hearted glare from Yata. “Anyways, there was this one time where I got a letter from a girl way back in middle school. I didn’t have _any_ idea of what to do so I asked my best friend for advice and you know what he said?

“I don’t even remember now!” Yata laughed. “All I remember is that she appeared _out of nowhere_ and I ended up getting scared and hid behind him! Ever since that I always ignored the letters in my shoe box because I never wanted that to happen to me again. It felt so _lame_ hiding from the girl the moment I met her. Like seriously!” Yata was laughing and so was Fushimi now. “It was stupid! Now tell me, listeners… do you have any embarrassing love moments?”

“Luckily enough I don’t.” Fushimi said, downing the last of the water. “I was too much of a shut-in to care about things like those.”

Yata rolled his eyes and picked up a call. “Hey there!”

“Hello there!” It was an old lady. “This is quite embarrassing already.”

“What is?”

“An old grandma calling a radio station.” She chuckled. “It’s quite… odd.”

“It’s fine it’s fine!” Yata grinned. “Everyone’s welcome here!”

“Thank you very much.” She laughed. “There’s this moment I have never forgotten about even at my old age… It was my senior year in high school. I was totally in love with a person in my class so I actually got him chocolate for Valentine’s Day hoping he’d notice me.

“It’s like any typical story, really.” The caller laughed again. “But I never realized I put the chocolate on the wrong desk! I only heard about it when his friend came up to me and gave me a thumbs up. It took me a whole two minutes to register what had happened.”

“That’s quite embarrassing!” Yata laughed.

“Yes, it was! Dear me, I was his classmate but I couldn’t even get the seat right when I needed it the most!”

“Did you and the guy get together?” Fushimi asked.

“Why no, actually. As I grew up I ended up marrying the guy I accidentally gave the chocolate to.” She chuckled. “It was quite a memorable day.”

“That’s a great story.” Yata smiled. “I’m glad you’re happy.”

“Indeed I am.” She said. “Thank you so much for letting me share my story.”

“Thank you so much for calling!” Yata exclaimed before going on to the next caller. “What’s up?”

There were three sets of squealing voices on the other end of the line, making both Yata and Fushimi cringe. “Oh. My. _God._ ” One of the voices said dramatically.

“Am I really on the like with _the_ Fushimi!?”

Fushimi’s eye twitched again. “Yes, indeed you girls are!”

More squealing. “ _Oh my god!_ I love you so much!” Another girl exclaimed.

“Thank you for your support.” Fushimi’s voice was tight.

“Can you sing me a song!?” The last one sounded like she was about to go on her knees and beg.

“I’m afraid this segment is for embarrassing moments, not for song requests…” Fushimi trailed off. “Do you girls have an embarrassing story to tell?”

“I don’t!” Two of them said just as another said “I have one!”

There was some shuffling from the other end of the call before one of them finally spoke. “There’s this guy in my class that I _really_ like! I tried making chocolate for him for Valentine’s Day but I forgot it at home! I was stupid and panicking so much I ended up inviting him over to my house instead to get the present! And guess what!?”

“Hmm?” Fushimi sounded interested but looked like he wanted to kill something.”What is it?”

“He was lactose intoler-something! Chocolate has milk in it so he can’t even eat the chocolate!”

Fushimi chuckled. “I know a guy that hates milk so much he could practically call himself lactose intolerant.”

“It’s dumb! What else could I have done to make up for it!?”

“Well, did you confess or anything? I’m sure he would’ve accepted the chocolate anyways.”

“I gave up on him when I realized he couldn’t do dairy products.” The girl sounded sassy at that point, pissing off Yata to the point he wanted to shut her down completely.

“That’s a bit harsh, isn’t it?” Yata asked, trying to diffuse himself.  
“I can’t even eat ice cream with him!” She exclaimed.

“That doesn’t mean you can’t meet him half-way and find things both of you guys would enjoy _and_ be able to eat.” Fushimi sighed.

“That’s way too much effort.” She deadpanned. “Anyways, can you sing that song now?”

“Sorry girls,” Fushimi’s knuckles were white from containing his annoyance. “I’m afraid now’s not the time for that.”

“Oh boo!” The girls groaned. “Why not?”

“We’re on a schedule, ladies.”

“He called us _ladies_!” One of them squealed just as another said “Dangit!”

“Anyways, time for our last caller!” Yata said, eager to drop the line. They both sighed in relief when the squealing finally stopped. “You’re on air!”

“Thank you very much!” It was a male voice, much to their relief. “This is just a quick story, but not too long ago - was it two years ago? - I was courting a girl that went to the same college as me. She was my junior, and before I knew it I had already proposed to her.”

“That’s sweet!” Yata wasn’t sure what else to say; weddings weren’t really his thing.

“It is! But get this: I was dead broke but I just really wanted it to be official. I couldn’t afford some fancy ring to put on her finger so I bought her a candy ring pop from the convenience store and left an IOU note when I left it in her bag! It read ‘We’re still in school and I’m still the cheap jerk you know me to be, so have this ring pop while I save up for a real wedding ring. Be mine?’”

Fushimi cracked a smile. “What a cute way to propose.”

“You think so?” The caller laughed sheepishly. “It was a joke to be honest, but she said yes! I went along with it because I really wanted to marry her anyways, and now we’re due to get married in a few months.”

“Congratulations!” Yata said happily. “That’s great, man! I hope you guys have an amazing wedding!”

“Thanks dude!” The caller was obviously grinning.

“Take good care of her.” Fushimi spoke quietly.

“You bet I will!”

The caller dropped the line and suddenly it was just Fushimi and Yata on the radio again. “That was really cool.” Yata murmured, filling in the silence. “I hope they have a good future.”

“They will.” Fushimi laughed. “I’m sure of it.”

“It’s the last segment of the show, huh…” Yata trailed off. “And it’s all about you this time, too.”

“Indeed it is.” Fushimi started tapping on the desk. “For the next half hour I’ll answer a few questions from our listeners!”

“Thanks for giving me a break!” Yata joked. “First question is…. Now!”

Yata picked up a line and motioned for Fushimi to take the lead. “Hello.”

“Hey man! My girl really loves your music and I was just wondering, when’s the next album coming out?”

“Next album, huh… That’s a surprise.”

“Any new songs coming out soon?”

“When don’t I have new songs coming out?”

THe caller laughed. “Anyways dude, thanks for making my girl happy.”

“I’m glad she’s enjoying my music.”

Fushimi grimaced. Yata raised an eyebrow as he pulled up another caller.

“Why aren’t you in a relationship yet, Fushimi?” The next caller asked. “There were a lot of rumors where you were together with another artist but nobody knows who!”

“I don’t need to be in a relationship to be happy.” Fushimi answered matter-of-factly. “Though there _is_ someone I’ve had eyes on.”

“Who!?”

“Secret~” Fushimi chuckled. “If you’re lucky maybe I’ll let it slip later into the session.”

Yata sighed and motioned Fushimi over to his side of the table. “You wanna take over?”

Fushimi shrugged. “Why not?”

“Just don’t fuck anything up, alright?”

He rolled his eyes. “Duh.”

Fushimi rolled up his chair and sat next to Yata, watching as he picked up the next call.

“Hey there.” Fushimi spoke into Yata’s microphone this time. “What’s going on?”

“Hey!” It was another fangirl. “I _love_ your music!”  
“Thank you.”

“I have two just two questions for you.” She started. “One, why did you decide to pursue a music career? Two, who was your song _Paper Crown_ about?”

“Hmm... “ Fushimi thought for a moment. “I decided on music because I thought it’d be interesting. It is, to say the least, but it’s also a lot more work than I thought it’d be. I never talked much back then so sometimes talking a lot gets a bit tiresome.

“As for your second question…” Fushimi smiled. “I’m sure it’s obvious who it’s about. At the very least… not every love story has a happy ending.”

“But you can always turn the page and start anew.” The caller said, as if she knew something about the song that should be kept hidden.”

“You’re right.” Fushimi laughed again. Yata wasn’t used to his acting at all, and it threw him off more and more each time he smiled or laughed and it wasn’t the same as back then. “Maybe it’s time to turn the page and continue the story.”

He ended the call abruptly, earning a small glare from Yata. “Next up is…”

“Hey there bud!” Yata laughed at the face Fushimi made. “How come you didn’t take anyone out today?”

“I don’t have a reason to, really.” Fushimi admitted. “I’d rather be a guest here for a couple of hours than take some random person out for a few hours. Besides….” He looked to Yata. “I have some catching up to do with someone later.”

Yata whirled around to face Fushimi head-on. “W-what!?”

“You seriously think I forgot you?” Fushimi sighed. “I have a lot of explaining to do, I know…”

“No kidding.” Yata grumbled. “You _left_ me.”

“I didn’t leave you.” Fushimi defended. “I thought you left me.”

“Me? Leave _you_ ? I’m not _that_ stupid, idiot.”

Fushimi laughed. “You know your listeners are hearing this, right?”

“S-shut up!” Yata glared and turned away. “Or else all your next questions are just going to be about our relationship.”

“Relationship, huh…” Fushimi smirked. “I didn’t think we were in one, but okay.”

“We’re not!” Yata threw another glare in his direction. “Jeez, why do you have to twist my words around like that all the time!?”

“It’s been eight years and you still haven’t changed, have you?”

“Oh, just hurry on with the next question!” Yata stood to grab a cola out of the fridge. He heard Fushimi chuckle as he took the next call, answering a question about his favorite food - steak, of course, with no vegetables - while he downed the bottle and tossed it in the recycling. He stood there for a moment to cool down while Fushimi went at it with the questions, confusion and embarrassment dominating all else as he tried to piece together what had just happened.

It was so quick that it literally threw him off. The suddenness was more than he could handle. Eight years really _was_ a long gap in-between seeing each other, and with how rough their friendship had supposedly ended he thought Fushimi wouldn’t even bother to bring up anything about their past... let alone bring it up _on air_.

Seriously, was he _trying_ to get the media to prod into his past? Wasn’t that how things usually turned out once something’s been said?

Yata shook his head and returned to his seat, too focused on his train of thought to notice that Fushimi had already finished answering three more questions, all of which he didn’t know what was about.

“We got about… ten more minutes.” Fushimi’s voice floated into focus the longer Yata sat next to him. “That’s about five more questions, hopefully, then it’s time for me to head off and do whatever for the rest of the day. What’s up, listener?”

“Dude what’s good?” The caller seemed fairly perky. “I was wondering when the next tour was!”

“News of that will be soon, so please watch out for that.” Fushimi’s expression looked bored. “I hope you attend one of my future shows!”

“Sweet man! One more, what’s up with your song _Exit Wounds_? It sounds like someone tried to kill you!”

Fushimi shook his head as Yata leaned onto the desk and rested his cheek on the surface of it. “IT hurts to lose someone.”

“Preach, man!”

“To all you heartbroken people out there, it’ll get better.” Fushimi said, though it sounded more like he was reassuring himself. “It’ll be okay.”

“Yeah, it will.” Yata spoke up, his voice quiet enough for the mic not to pick up.

Fushimi shuffled in place a little and picked up another call. “Hi.”

“Ohmygdohmygodohmygodohmygod _ohmygod_!” Yata sighed and imagined Fushimi glaring at the microphone. “Fushimi!?”

“Yes, what’s your question?”

“OH. My. GOD!!!!”

Yata sat up on his chair and glanced at Fushimi. He looked pained, at the same time murderous. “Yes, caller? What’s your question?”

“Are you looking for a girlfriend!?”

The question took Yata off-guard. “Girlfriend, huh…” He flipped the word around in his head and imagined Fushimi with a nice model of a girlfriend.

It made his blood run cold.

“I’m afraid getting a girlfriend isn’t something I’m interested in.” Fushimi answered. “I don’t have eyes for any girl, either.”

“Aww, really!? Dang! How about a boyfriend, though?”

Yata suddenly imagined Fushimi with some model boyfriend and groaned.

“I don’t think this guy here would be happy about that, either.” Fushimi laughed. “Yata’s pretty… _hard-headed_ … when it comes to his own feelings.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Yata complained, throwing his head back in frustration.

“You used to get upset when someone tried to befriend me.” Fushimi smirked. “And you _still_ do, it seems.”

“What makes you think _that_?”

He shrugged. “You usually have a million questions to ask me and you’ve barely asked me anything so far.”

“What does that have to do with me being hard-headed about my feelings?”

Fushimi smiled. “If you only knew…”

“What the heck?” He had to stop himself from spewing out a few words of profanity on live broadcast. “Weirdo.”

“Says you.” Fushimi sighed ending a call and picking up another one right off the bat. “That took up way too much time… one more question!”

“Hi Fushimi! Hi Yata!”

“Hello.” They both answered in unison.

“This is a dumb question, but what _is_ the relationship between you two?”

Yata sighed. “Some stuff happened a long time ago and we didn’t talk ever since…”

“So basically we’re strangers again.”

“But it’s be nice to have him as a friend once more.”

“Or more than that.” Fushimi muttered.

“More than what?” Yata asked, assuming that the microphone picked up whatever Fushimi just said.

“Shush!” Fushimi glared at him. “Great job, genius.”

“What did I do _now_!?” Yata groaned. “I just asked you what you means about ‘more than that’!”

“That’s the problem.” Fushimi pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re so _clueless_ sometimes.”

“...” Yata was honestly at a loss. What did he do to mess up this time?

“Anyways,” Fushimi cleared his throat and dropped the call. “That ends my time here on _HOMRA Entertainment_ this time. Thank you guys so much for listening, and have a great Valentine’s Day!”

Fushimi played the next playlist for Yata and stood up abruptly. “Dumbass.” He muttered, walking over to the fridge and taking a bottle of cola.

“What the hell did I _do_?” Yata threw his hands up. “I don’t get it!”

“Did you seriously not get the hint?”

“Does it fucking _look_ like I did?”

“You look like a goddamn idiot.”

“Jeez, what’s with you?” Misaki spun around on his chair. “I was hoping we wouldn’t fight, too…”

“... Do you really not understand?” Fushimi mumbled, playing with the bottle’s cap.

“I don’t.”

Fushimi sighed again, this time in frustration. “I even made a whole _album_ for you last year.”

Yata’s eyes darted to Fushimi. “... What?”

Fushimi laughed tiredly. “I guess you haven’t really been following me around like you used to, huh?”

“Following? What?”

“It’s nothing, _Misaki_.” Fushimi smirked.

For some reason, Yata didn’t mind Fushimi calling him by his first name.

“Going by first name again? Alright, _Saruhiko_.”

“Heh.” Fushimi tapped on the bottle. “Anyways, what do we do now?”

“Don’t you have a song to write or something?” Yata shrugged. “I’m free today and tomorrow. It’s already time for the dinner rush so I might as well head home and make something to eat.”

Fushimi frowned. “Leaving me already?”

“Oh shut up asshole.” Yata stood and opened the door for Fushimi. “I was going to invite you over to talk but if you keep this up you’ll never see me again for sure.”

“You wouldn’t like that though, now would you?” Fushimi teased.

“Jerk.”

“Uh-huh.” Fushimi stepped out of the studio and stretched his arms. “I’m hungry and my voice hurts.”

“Then go back to your hotel and get some room service or something.” Yata rolled his eyes and stepped past him, grabbing his stuff from his desk in an adjacent room and pulling his beanie on. “I’m pretty sure my cooking is shitter than their food anyways.”

“It won’t taste like home though.” Fushimi mumbled, looking down.”

“Taste like what now?”

“Nothing.” Fushimi looked towards the exit. “If you don’t wanna get something to eat together then I’ll go.”

Yata’s heart started to bear a little faster. “N-no! It’s okay... you can come over, seriously.”

Fushimi looked at Yata. “Really, now?”

“Yeah!” Yata flashed him a smile. “We gotta catch up like you said, anyways.”

“But I’m tired.”

“Then I’ll do the talking.” Yata rolled his eyes. “Like always.”

Fushimi smiled, and for once it finally felt like a real, _genuine_ smile. “You really haven’t changed, have you?”

“You talk more than usual, but other than that you’re the same.” Yata rolled his eyes. “Guess that’s what being famous does to you though.”

“You’re pretty popular too, you know.”

“Hah. Yeah, right.” Yata started to walk towards the exit.

“A lot of people talk about you too, y’know.”

“Riiiight. As if I’d believe that.” Yata chuckled, holding the door open for Fushimi.

Fushimi pulled out his phone and walked through the doorway, tapping on the screen a few times before handing it over for Yata. “Read.”

“Read what?” Yata asked, taking the phone and walking in the direction towards his apartment.

“Just read.” Fushimi looked away.

“... Uh huh.” Yata sighed and began to read a random sentence.

“‘I love you.’ Misaki said, taking Saruhiko’s hand and leaning in for a --- wait _what_ !?” Yata exclaimed, skimming the rest of the page and blanching at its contents. It was… _explicit_ , to say the least. “What the fuck _is_ this?”

“You’re popular. I’m popular. Rumors about our past were flying around for years now. That story was posted two days ago.” He shrugged. “Ever since the my guest appearance announcement people have been going nuts about our ‘reunion’ on a lot of sites.”

Yata shook his head in disbelief. “But that doesn’t explain _this_!”

“You really are a clueless idiot.” Fushimi chuckled. “Maybe I’ll send you a signed copy of your album.”

“What the fuck?” Yata hit the back button and scrolled through the page. “There’s _more_!?”

“People love a good childhood-friends-turned-lovers relationship.”

“Us? Lovers?” Yata shook his head again. “What!?”

“Who knows?” Fushimi shrugged, smirking. “I know you’ve been dying to see me again anyways.”

“Have _not_ ! Asshole!” They were nearing the apartment and Yata motioned for Fushimi to head up the flight of stairs. “Besides, who would like _me_ ? I can’t think of anything that would let alone _you_!”

“ _I~diot_.” Fushimi sang. “I’m hungry and my voice hurts.”

“Oh we’re not done talking here, bud.” Yata wagged a finger at him before opening his apartment door. “You have a _lot_ of explaining to do, starting with these stories!”

Fushimi groaned. “Let’s eat first before you start yelling stupid things at me.”

Yata sighed in exasperation. Way too much has happened in the last eight years, and one day wasn’t enough to cover everything he wanted to touch base on. Not to mention the slight hint of a confession that could not also be a confession - who would still like _and_ remember him after eight years, anyways?

Fushimi, apparently.

With the way the session ended Yata was almost certain Fushimi had some sort of dumb crush on him, but who was he to talk? For all Yata knew he’s had a crush on Fushimi since way back when, too, if the weird butterflies in his stomach right now had a say in everything that’s happened today. He wanted to forget his feelings but it felt a lot better rolling with it like he has been since Fushimi walked into the studio.

_Please tell me he likes me too..._

This was going to be a long night.

**Author's Note:**

> Songs Mentioned:  
> ONE OK ROCK - [Heartache](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REYUZFixRug)  
> Benjamin Alec - [Paper Crown](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzmjdntlRJk)  
> The Script - [Exit Wounds](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t-eORuMtzk)
> 
> If anyone actually cares about the "album" mentioned twice in the story I made a YouTube Playlist [here](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZyc8TYJA0KhMkRiUU0ngJmbVM7iGOYeY).


End file.
